Little Slippers
by RaydorCakes
Summary: Shandy AU. Raising Nicole on his own was certainly more difficult than expected, but he was grateful to have Sharon, Nicole's ballet instructor, to help him along the way.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Inspired by a tumblr post, and very AU. For the sake of my sanity, all characters are in their mid-thirties (Sharon, Andy, Brenda, Mike, Provenza) or late twenties (Amy, Julio, Buzz). Hope everyone likes it!_

~oOo~

Los Angeles was quite a strange city, but he supposed it would do. He was starting over, and where better to start than a city known for beaches and aquariums that he could share with his little girl.

"Daddy, come on! We're gonna be late!" Nicole Flynn exclaims, grabbing onto her father's hand and pulling him towards the door of their apartment, "I don't want to be late on my first day, come on Dad!"

"Okay, okay Nic we're going!" He replies just as excitedly, scooping his daughter up in his arms before heading for the studio.

~oOo~

If it wasn't for Nicole's constant pestering, there was no way he would have enrolled her in ballet. All of the ballerinas he'd met in his thirty-some years of life had been rude and in his opinion snobbish, and there was no way he wanted his daughter to grow up that way. But the studio seemed nice enough, and so had the online reviews. _How bad could it be?_ After all, the studio was named "Open Arms Studio," not something ridiculous like "Twinkle Toes."

"Daddy come on!" Nicole exclaims again, letting go of his hand and running up to the door of the studio, "Dad!"

'I'm right here sweetheart." He chuckles, taking a few larger strides to catch the door as they entered, "Let's get you all settled in."

Nicole stops as soon as she enters the studio, and it takes all of Andy's self-control to stop himself from knocking the four-year-old over. The studio is immaculate, and all four walls and the ceiling are made of mirrors. Andy has to do a double-take when he sees a figure making her way across the room, as she seemed to have materialised out of nothing. She wore a pair of black leggings and a loose blue shirt, her bright auburn hair pinned up in a messy bun.

"Hi, I'm Sharon." She extends her hand to Andy and then kneels down to Nicole's height, offering the youngster a small smile, "And you must be Nicole." She grins, "Welcome to Los Angeles."

"Thank you." Andy offers her a smile when she stands to meet his eyes, "I'm Andy Flynn- by the way."

"It's very nice to meet you." She replies, "I'll work with Nicole for a few hours, could you come pick her up around noon?"

"Actually, uh," _why hadn't he thought this far ahead?_ "I'm starting my first day today with the LAPD, so I don't know when I'll be able to come pick her up and you can't keep her all day." Andy sighs, "Come on Nic." He reaches for his daughter's hand and she immediately starts to cry.

"No, Daddy I want to stay here!"

"Shh, it's okay little one." Sharon kneels down to Nicole's height again, gently running a hand through the girl's hair, "Mr. Flynn, she can stay with me all day; it isn't a problem."

"Are… are you sure? I don't know when I'll be done at the PAB and I'd hate for you to have to babysit her all day. I can pay you extra if you want me to-" Andy pulls his wallet out of his pocket when Sharon stands up again, pushing his wallet back towards him.

"It's fine, I promise." She nods, her dark-rimmed glasses sliding down her nose as she does so, "I have a son and a daughter actually, and they're both around her age. It wouldn't hurt for them to socialise a bit." Sharon shrugs, "Just stop by whenever you finish up at work, we live in the loft upstairs." She adds as they both glance up into the overhead mirrors, "Honestly, it's not a problem."

"Now I see why you call this place _Open Arms_." He chuckles, "I'll see you soon Nicole." Andy kisses his daughter's forehead before heading for the door, "Thank you Sharon."

"My pleasure." She smiles as Andy exits the studio, disappearing into the busy Los Angeles street.

~oOo~

 _And he thought New York was hectic._ The bustle about the large staging room was baffling, the way the lieutenants and detectives hurried about quickly without even seeming to notice him.

"Hello... I," Andy raises his hand and gently grabs onto the arm of an older man as he walks past, "I'm Andy Flynn, the new lieutenant."

"And I'm busy." The short man grumbles in response, "Go find the chief. She should be around here somewhere."

"Oh… okay." Andy replies as the man hurries away. Andy peers through the large glass-paned windows to find a blonde woman sitting behind a desk, a red pair of glasses perched on the edge of her nose, "Are you the chief?"

She quickly gets up from her seat and opens the door for him, "Lieutenant Flynn?" She asks in a strong southern accent as she extends her hand, "Welcome to the LAPD. I'm Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson."

"It's nice to meet you, chief." He nods in response, "Is it always this busy around here?"

"No." She shrugs, a smirk creeping across her face, "This is a training exercise for them."

"They seem pretty serious about it." He looks at her skeptically as she takes a seat behind her desk and motions with her hand to the chairs opposite her.

"They don't know it's an exercise." She grins again, "So Lieutenant Flynn, what brought you to LA?"

"Personal things." He responds vaguely, "And I transferred from New York, so I'm used to working in big cities."

"Personal things?" She questions in her twangy accent, "Now what does that mean exactly?" She adds, reaching into her desk and removing two chocolate cakes, placing one in front of him as she unwrapped her own, "Not to be too personal or anything, I just like knowing what my team's weaknesses are."

"Yeah, um, okay." Andy clasps his hands in his lap and watches as she eats her chocolate cake, his still sitting unopened in front of him, "I just went through a divorce, and then I got the offer to come out here. I figured maybe a fresh start would be good."

"I understand that, believe me." She rolls her eyes and lets out a contented sigh as she picks at the cake with her fingers, making Andy slightly uncomfortable, "Here's the case they're working, try your hand at it." She pushes a folder towards him, "They're all too focused to be friendly right now, but I'll introduce you later." She nods, "Welcome to the force Lieutenant Flynn."

"Thank you chief." He nods in response, opening the case file as he headed back out into the murder room.

~oOo~

God, were his co-workers _amateurs_? Andy asks himself with a chuckle as he reads through the incident report yet again. _Why hadn't they figured it out yet?_

Gingerly tapping the folder in his hands, Andy cautiously steps towards the chief's office before quietly knocking on the door, "Chief?"

"Come in lieutenant." She glances up from her stack of papers, "How can I help you?"

"I… I think I solved the case."

"There's no _thinking_ in police work, either you solved it or you didn't." She replies sternly, "Would you like to try again?"

"Yes, chief." Andy exits her office and closes the door before knocking on it again, "I solved the case."

"You did?" She drawls and looks up at him surprisedly, "Do tell."

Andy sits down across from the blonde and opens his folder, laying all of the paperwork out in front of her, "Okay, here's the incident report from the first responder: Janet Cirillo, 37, found shot in an alley on Fifth Street at 03:30 AM. The left heel of her shoe was broken, her wallet was missing, and she had defensive wounds on her arms, all of which indicate there was a struggle. When her phone was traced, it was off, but the last ping came from Joe's Bar in town. I went to the bar and interviewed the owner, asking him if he saw Janet or if anyone was with her. He said he saw her around 03:00 AM with a tall caucasian male who looked to be between 30 and 35. Thankfully the owner had a video camera, so I was able to run facial recognition on the man that was in the bar with Janet." He takes a deep breath and shuffles the papers on the desk until he finds the one he was looking for, "Facial recognition came back to Andrew Wilson, 32. From there I was able to find his address and bring him in for questioning. He confessed to the murder, and had this been a real case I would have contacted the Deputy District Attorney to set up a trial date and plea deal if possible."

"Wow." She replies in her strong accent, taking off her glasses and sitting them down on her desk, "I am _impressed_ Lieutenant Flynn, _very_ impressed."

"Really chief," Andy sighs and rubs his temples, "that was pretty easy I-"

"Chief! We solved the case!" The same short man from earlier bursts into the office, three other officers following him, a similar manila folder in his hands, "We even got a confession!"

"Well isn't that nice, Lieutenant Provenza?" She drawls amusedly, "Have you met Lieutenant Flynn yet?"

"Briefly." Lieutenant Provenza waves his hand dismissively, the other officers whispering quietly, "But chief you really should take a look at this."

"Actually," she smirks for a moment, clasping her hands together on the top of her desk, "Lieutenant Flynn already solved the case." She muses, "And it was an exercise. That should say something about your skills, the fact that our new lieutenant was able to do on his own what all of you could hardly do together."

"Actually I… Uh," Andy stands and turns to face his co-workers, "I'm not _new_ new, I worked robbery-homicide in New York City."

"Yeah well," Provenza begins with an eye-roll, "this isn't New York City."

"You're right about that." Andy clasps his hands together in front of himself, "In New York, my colleagues and I were able to work together."

"Lieutenants." Brenda reprimands quietly, watching as the two men eye each other like two boxers in the ring, "I suggest you watch yourselves. You're going to have to get along. This is a high priority unit and you'll be spending a lot of time together. For those of you who haven't met him yet, this is Andy Flynn. He's joining us from New York's robbery/homicide. Flynn, these are your co-workers, Amy Sykes, Julio Sanchez, Mike Tao, and Louie Provenza." Andy offers a small wave and a meager hello to the group, their scrutinising gazes making him even more uncomfortable, "Follow me out and I'll show you your desk." Andy offers the blonde a nod, thankful that she was providing him with some semblance of an escape.

~oOo~

By the time Andy was finally able to go home, it was almost 9:30. He sighs and flips open his phone, dialling Sharon's number as he unlocks his car and starts it.

"Hello?" Sharon answers with a yawn.

"Hi." Andy grins to himself, "It's Andy Flynn. I'm sorry it's so late, I'll be right over to pick up Nicole."

"Oh, don't worry about it. She's an angel." Sharon responds, "She's with my kids right now, they were watching a movie and all three of them fell asleep on the couch. It's quite a sight." She chuckles fondly, looking to the trio on the couch as a grin graced her lips, "How long will you be? Have you eaten dinner?"

"Maybe five minutes. And I'll make something when I get home." He adds, "Thanks for keeping her all day, I really appreciate it."

"I'll see you in a little bit." Sharon returns, "Drive safe."

~oOo~

The camaraderie he and Sharon had shared on the phone was strange, but he had to admit he enjoyed it. Andy couldn't remember the last time he found someone he just _clicked_ with, and he was glad to at the very least have one friend in this godforsaken city. Andy parks his car and walks briskly to the door of the studio before ringing the doorbell. He shoves his hands into his pockets and lets out a deep breath, rocking back on his heels as he waits for Sharon to answer the door.

"Hi." She opens the door for him and smiles, her auburn hair framing her face as she closed the door behind them, "The kids are all upstairs; I couldn't bring myself to wake them." She shrugs as a grin covers her face, "Just wait until you see them, so precious!" She giggles as she and Andy make their way up the narrow staircase and into the second-floor apartment.

"Wow." He says quietly once they enter the apartment, "You have quite the setup here."

"We make it work." Sharon shrugs, trying her hardest not to take Andy's statement as an insult.

They didn't have much. That was and had been a fact since the moment Jackson Raydor decided to overturn their lives. He took what he could, in either cash or the education Sharon had paid for, and then he left. Left them with just enough to _barely_ pay the bills every week, _barely._ Sharon smiled for her children, stayed strong for them just as she always had. But it was wearing on her, and she could only disguise that fact for so long. Managing the studio brought in enough money for groceries, but it wasn't easy. She was still waiting for her 'big break.' For all her hard work to pay off, so her children could live in a _real_ house, not some half-rate apartment.

"The kids are all on the couch in the living room." Sharon smiles, "All of the rooms are connected." She explains, "We use these curtains as doors, it's easier in the summer when it gets too hot. Oh, why am I even telling you this?" Sharon dismisses herself, leading Andy through the kitchen where they had entered, then through the dining room and finally to the living room, "Just look." She sighs wistfully, crossing her arms over her chest and smiling brightly at the three sleeping figures, "That's my son, Ricky, and daughter, Emily." She whispers, pointing to the children on either side of Nicole, "They were watching _E.T._ " She explains, "And also, Nicole is very good at ballet."

"That's good to hear." Andy smiles at the children as well, "It may be the only good thing she inherited from her mother." He sighs and bows his head.

"I'm sure that can't be true." Sharon responds softly, reaching out and squeezing Andy's arm reassuringly as Nicole stirs, "She's an amazing girl."

"Thank you." He nods appreciatively, "I'm doing my best with her. I just wish I had my son too."

"Your… _son…_?" She repeats cautiously.

"Is in New York with his mother." Andy answers Sharon's unspoken question, "That was what he wanted."

"I'm so sorry." Sharon looks up at him sadly, "I didn't know."

"Now you do." He shrugs, "You're probably the only one in this city that knows anything about me."

"Likewise." Sharon shrugs with a smirk, "God, I just don't want to wake them." Sharon sighs as she looks back to the sleeping children, "I don't think I've seen them this calm in a long time."

"Don't wake them then. I'll pick up Nic and carry her out to the car. Problem solved." He beams proudly.

"Do you need help with her?" Sharon whispers quietly as Andy picks up Nicole and cradles her in his arms.

"If you could get the doors that'd be a help." Andy replies, his eyes never leaving his daughter even as they made their way down the narrow staircase and back into the studio. "Thank you." He offers Sharon a warm smile as he steps out into the street, "Thank you so much. I'll see you tomorrow?" He asks hopefully as Nicole rubs her eyes.

"I'd hope so." She quips with a crooked smile as she locks the studio door, "Good night Andy."

"Good night Sharon." He responds before turning away from her and loading his daughter into the car.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks so much for all the love on chapter one! I plan to update this story weekly on Wednesdays, but some family issues, sickness, and vacation slowed me down. To make up for it, I'll try my best to have chapter three written and uploaded later today!_

 _(Not much Shandy in this chapter, next one will have more)_

 _~oOo~_

 _God, he hoped every day wouldn't start with Nicole bursting into his bedroom and shaking him awake._ For the time being it was adorable, but he didn't think it would be in a month. But Nicole seemed happy here, and that was important.

"Sweet Pea, I'm awake!" He laughs, wrapping her in his arms and hanging her upside down by her feet as he walked throughout the condo, "I'm awake!"

"Daddy put me down!" Nicole yells through her laughter, "I can't be late to Miss. Sharon's! I need to get ready!"

"Okay, okay." Andy responds fake-defeatedly as he puts his daughter down, "Go get ready, I'll make breakfast." He chuckles, watching Nicole retreat down the hallway at full-speed, "It's pancakes, so you better hurry up!"

~oOo~

"Thank you Dad!" She exclaims happily, peanut butter smeared all over her face, "They were yummy!"

"I can tell!" Andy laughs in response, "Come with me to the bathroom so we can get you cleaned up." He smiles as Nicole latches onto him with a peanut buttery hand as they make their way down the hallway. "Ready?" Andy asks and Nicole nods excitedly as Andy picks her up and sits her on the bathroom counter and begins dabbing her face with a wet paper towel, trying his hardest not to get peanut butter on his suit.

"I'm so excited to go to Miss. Sharon's again!" Nicole squeals, making Andy's job even more difficult. "We did ballet and then she made us dinner and we watched _E.T.!_ " She exclaims, clapping her hands together even as Andy tried to clean them, "Ricky is a year older than me, and Emily is my age! I have friends here Dad!"

"Me too honey, me too." He smiles to himself, glad that his daughter shared his fondness for Sharon and her family as well, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Nicole laughs and jumps off of the counter before running to her room and grabbing her bag full of water and a change of clothes, "Let's go!"

"Okay, we're going!" Andy laughs equally enthusiastically, following Nicole out the door and into the elevator.

~oOo~

"Hi, honey!" Sharon exclaims with a laugh as Nicole wraps her arms around Sharon's leg in a hug, "How are you?"

"Good!" The young girl announces happily, "Are Emily and Ricky here?"

"Ricky's at school." She smiles down at the girl, "And Em will be down in a little bit. Andy," she redirects her attention to the man in front of her, "good morning. Thank you for bringing her over. Nicole, go put your bag in your cubby, okay?" Sharon suggest and Nicole runs across the room.

"I… Still…" Andy stutters, propping himself against the doorframe and crossing his arms over his chest, "Thank you so much for watching her."

"I told you I don't mind." Sharon responds, "She's a sweetheart, and I would hope that if I were in your position someone would do the same for my kids." She shrugs, her gaze falling to her feet, "Do you know when you'll be coming to pick her up?"

"No idea." He sighs disappointedly, "Would you like me to call you when I find out?"

"That'd be perfect." She smiles, "Just let me know."

"Will do." Andy offers her a mock-salute, "Have a nice day!"

"You too." She responds before closing the door and pirouetting across the floor.

~oOo~

"Guess we've got ourselves a new coffee-boy." Provenza states as he walks up to Andy's desk, "Here's the list. Get it done."

Andy looks from his coworker and back to the list, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration, "No."

"What do you mean _no_?" The older man questions, "You're the new guy, you're the coffee grunt."

"I don't even drink coffee." Andy retaliates with a shrug, "Get your own damn coffee. I'm new to the department, but I've been a cop for the last ten years."

"Doesn't matter." Provenza shrugs and hands the sticky-note back to him, "You're the department's newbie, get it done."

"No." Andy says again, now getting out of his chair and standing to tower over the older man, "I suggest you get your own damn coffee."

"And _I_ suggest," Provenza argues, "that you don't talk back to your superiors."

"Gentleman, gentleman!" Brenda quickly emerges from her office and comes to stand in front of the two men, "Can either of you act like adults? Please!" She sighs, "Louie you can get your own damn coffee, your legs aren't broken. And Andy," she redirects her attention to the taller man, "being insubordinate will get you nowhere."

"Yes, ma'am." Andy and Louie both respond bitterly before returning to their desks.

~oOo~

"Do you know what I like?" Provenza asks and spins in his chair to look at Andy. This piques the rest of the squad's attention and they all listen intently.

"What?" Andy replies, his voice still bitter from their earlier confrontation.

"Beer. Wanna come have a drink with us after work tonight?"

"Um…" Andy thinks for a moment, debating his response carefully. "No thanks."

"Why not?" Provenza asks in return, to which Andy lets out a sigh.

It wasn't often that he told people why he didn't drink, or _stopped_ drinking, and he most certainly wouldn't tell the man who seemed to be his arch enemy, "I have a daughter to go home to."

"And?" Provenza shrugs, "Leave her with her mother. Spends some time with your new best friends."

"Her mother's not in the picture." Andy sighs, "And you all are _hardly_ my best friends."

"Well with an attitude like that, we sure as hell won't ever be." Mike Tao responds, spinning in his chair to join their conversation, "I know Provenza can be a little rough sometimes, but I promise there's nothing but marshmallow under his tough exterior."

"More like hamburgers." Louie sighs, "And beer."

"We've got a case." Chief Johnson announces as she emerges from her office, "Please, _work together_." She emphasises, looking directly at Flynn and Provenza before continuing, "This case shouldn't be too difficult, or at least I hope." She sighs and pushes a stray lock of curly blonde hair behind her ear, "Victim is 27 year old Catherine Kelley, found shot in her car this morning. Witnesses that called it in said that a man on a motorcycle came up to the car, shot twice through the window, and sped off. They were able to jot down the plate number, so at least we have that. It's being run through the DMV system right now, and as soon as we get a hit on that, the case should be as good as closed. In the meantime, we're working on bringing in the victim's family. Ask 'em about Catherine's life, see if they know of anyone that'd want to do this to her. Maybe that way we can close this case even quicker." She grins to herself as she pins the photos up onto the murder board, "C'mon now, time's-a-ticking." She smiles with a turn of her head before retreating back into her office.

~oOo~

"Hey, Sharon," Andy speaks quickly as he walks down the hallway towards interrogation, "I just wanted to let you know I should be over to pick up Nic around eight. I'll call you and let you know if anything changes, bye."

"I thought your wife wasn't in the picture." Provenza rolls his eyes and lets out a puff of air.

"She's not my wife. She's my daughter's ballet instructor. She watches Nicole while I'm here."

"Ooh, a ballerina?" Provenza asks, his eyes suddenly lighting up with interest, "I bet she's flexible."

"Shut up." Andy responds defensively, "Go interview the family."

If there was one thing Andy hated, it was being the new guy in town. He forgot how much it sucked, being barred from all interrogations and interviews, the countless hours of sensitivity training and safety videos, and, evidently, being the coffee grunt. He couldn't wait to no longer be the "newbie" as everyone had started calling him, and finally be "Lieutenant Flynn."

His team was a little rough around the edges, that much he could tell. Provenza was a little too blunt at times, Tao was a little too nosy, and Sykes, Sanchez, and Buzz, well he hadn't thought they'd spoken at all since he met them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kelley, I'm terribly sorry to have called you in this morning, but we were wondering when the last time was you spoke to your daughter?" Provenza begins softly, Chief Johnson offering a small but proud smile at her lieutenant's compassion.

"I don't know, maybe last week, why?" The mother, Joan, asks, her face falling with worry, "What happened to Catherine?"

Provenza looks to Brenda and she nods, "Do either of you know anyone who may have had a problem with your daughter? Co-workers, ex-boyfriends?" She asks.

"I… I'm not sure." Bill, the father, responds, "She didn't talk to us too much about her personal life. What happened to our baby?" He questions, his voice breaking as he reached for his wife's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm sorry to inform you," Brenda begins, bowing her head sadly, "that Catherine was shot and killed earlier this morning."

"Oh, no!" Mrs. Kelley exclaims, tears running down her cheeks as she covered her face with her hands, "I was supposed to have lunch with her tomorrow! Who did this to our little girl?"

"We were wondering," Brenda begins, sliding two photos towards the couple as Bill pulls his crying wife into his arms, "if either of you recognised this motorcycle?"

"Her… Her ex-boyfriend had a motorcycle, always talked about selling it though." Joan manages to mumble out between sobs, "Did _he_ do this to her?"

"Ma'am, can I have his name and any contact information you have for 'em?" Brenda asks, passing a piece of paper and a pen to the couple.

"I…" Mrs. Kelley sniffles and wipes her nose before taking the pen from Brenda and jotting down a name and a phone number, "I can't imagine he'd ever do something like that… Not to her." She continues to sniffle and occasionally rubs her nose or eyes as the interview continues, "He always seemed like such the gentleman, didn't he?" She asks her husband, hints of doubt written across her features.

"Come on hon," he shrugs sadly, "like I didn't act differently around your parents at first." He tries, and it's at this point Andy is glad to be in the observation room; he could let out a little snort-laugh without being unprofessional.

With that, Brenda looks at Provenza before focusing back on the Kelleys, "Thank you so much for your help. We'll follow the leads you've given us, and contact you with any updates."

"Thank you." Mr. Kelley nods to the officers opposite him before wrapping his arm around his wife and carefully guiding her out of the interview room.

~oOo~

"What've y'all found?" Brenda questions in her thick accent, "Anything?"

"Well the ex-boyfriend's name is Peter Greenberg, and I'm running his license plate to see if it matches the one witnesses recorded. I asked uniforms to go pick him up." Julio explains, handing Brenda the folder full of new information, "Has anyone else found anything?" Julio asks, spinning in his chair to face the rest of the team, "Anyone?"

"Well," Andy pipes up with a small shrug, "according to social media, Peter cheated on Catherine. Looks like a nasty breakup."

"So why would he kill her? If he was the one that caused the breakup? If anything is think it'd be the other way around." Amy adds, "What else did you find?"

"Not much." Andy sighs, "It seems like she and Peter were in a serious relationship, he cheated, and she broke things off. Did they find anything when they canvassed her apartment?"

"Nothing so far." She replies, focused on the papers in front of her, "They'll call if they find something."

"Mike, did you get anything on Peter's motorcycle?" Brenda questions as she taps her finger on the desk.

"Plates are still running." He shrugs, "Even if it is his, we have no idea if it was him on that bike."

"That's why _I_ have security footage." Provenza interrupts triumphantly as he hands a few photos to Brenda, "Bar across the street had exterior cameras, I was able to get a couple angles." He adds before sitting back down, "From what I can tell, it looks like Peter."

"Okay, good." She nods pensively, "Tao, Sykes, go pick 'em up and we'll see what happens from there."

~oOo~

"Why would I kill her?" Peter asks, "I mean yeah we weren't on the best of terms but _murder_ , come on!"

"Stop lying." Andy grumbles through clenched teeth as he watches the interrogation from the tech room, "We have you on film moron."

"Listen, Peter," Provenza sighs, "the bar across the street from where Catherine was shot has security cameras, and look what we found." He attempts to hold back a smirk as Brenda opens a folder and takes out three photos and slides them towards Peter, "There's you, pulling a gun on Catherine; there's you, pulling the trigger; and there's you, fleeing the scene on your motorcycle. Care to explain?" Provenza questions as he crosses his arms over his chest, "From the photo we were able to match the license plate to the plate of _your_ bike, and facial recognition was positive you were the rider, so how about you make this easy and tell us where you stashed the gun and why you killed Catherine."

"She told me she was pregnant." He breathes out quietly as he runs and hand through his hair, his eyes flitting back and forth nervously, "She told me she was going to tell _everyone_ that I raped her. I didn't." He lets out a deep breath, "Yeah I messed up, but I wouldn't do something like that."

"Write it down." Brenda instructs, passing a notepad and pen to Peter, "Where's the gun?"

"In my backyard under a slab of concrete." He sighs, "I didn't want to hurt her." He adds quietly to which Andy grumbles to himself.

"You didn't mean to hurt her, so you _shot_ her. Idiot." He sighs as he scratches his temples, "Well your stupidity means I can get home sooner tonight, so thank you." He shrugs, pushing himself out of the chair and leaving the observation room.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I promised more Shandy, so here goes nothing!_

~oOo~

"Hey, Sharon," Andy speaks as he starts his car and drives away from the precinct.

"Hi!" She greets happily, the kids laughing in the background, "How're you looking on time?"

"Actually I'm leaving now." He chuckles, "I should be there in ten minutes tops."

"Really? You're early. You'll make it just in time for dinner!" She adds happily, and Andy can picture the grin on her face, "This is exciting!"

"Yeah, it is." Andy smiles, "Do you need me to pick anything up on my way?"

"Just you." She laughs, "Bring yourself, the kids are waiting."

"I'll see you in a bit." Andy replies before hanging up.

~oOo~

"Sharon?" Andy questions as he lets himself into the studio and walks carefully across the floor, "Nicole?"

"Boo!" A chorus of voices exclaim and Andy jumps back, "Haha, we got you Dad!" Nicole laughs as she, Emily, Ricky, and Sharon emerge from the darkened corners of the room.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Andy questions as he catches his breath, Sharon laughing hysterically at the sight of the panicked man in front of her.

"We thought it'd be fun." Sharon smirks, "And it was, wasn't it?"

"Yeah!" All three kids respond in unison, crowding around Andy as they giggled.

"Are you kids ready for dinner?" Sharon asks with a wide grin.

"Yeah!" They all respond in unison once again before running up the stairs and into the apartment.

~oOo~

"So, Andy, how was work?" Sharon questions idly, the five of them munching on their grilled cheese sandwiches.

He rolls his eyes silently and takes another bite of his sandwich, _Talking about murder isn't exactly dinner conversation, is it?_ He thinks to himself.

"Dad!" Nicole exclaims seemingly out of nowhere, dropping her sandwich onto her plate and darting away from the table, "Look at this!"

Andy can't see her, but he can hear her voice, and he sends a confused glance in Sharon's direction. She just shrugs in response as Emily and Ricky begin giggling.

"Here!" Nicole returns, a black pair of shoes in hand, "We found these, and Miss. Sharon said they could be yours!" She happily thrusts the shoes into his hands and he looks them over for a moment before glancing back and forth from Nicole to Sharon.

"Thank you so much Nic." He smiles and places a kiss on the young girl's forehead, "I don't think I'd be much of a ballerina." He chuckles, the tail end of his statement directed at Sharon, "But thank you."

"You should give it a try." Sharon grins, "You'd be surprised. It's all muscle memory. Once you learn it, you'll know it forever."

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Andy shakes his head, "And even then, not sure ballett is a trick I'd _want_ to learn." He adds with a laugh as he places the slippers on the floor at his feet.

"It's actually really fun." Emily pipes up, and Sharon beams proudly, glad that her daughter was starting to become comfortable around Andy, "And Nicole is really good."

"Really?" Andy asks enthusiastically, his eyes panning from the two young girls to Sharon, "Is that so?"

"For a beginner, she's doing great." Sharon smiles, "Are you kids done eating?" She questions as she rises from the table, plate in hand.

"Yeah." Andy responds, standing and adjusting his tie before picking up his plate and following Sharon into the kitchen, Ricky, Emily, and Nicole following him, "Thank you for dinner." He smiles at Sharon as he places his plate in the sink with the others, "I appreciate it. All you're doing for Nicole and I." He adds quietly, diverting his eyes away from Sharon as the kids ran into the living room.

"Don't mention it." Sharon dismisses him as she picks up a dish towel and fills the sink with water, "And I told you before, I love watching Nicole. I always wanted to have another little one someday, and she's a sweetheart. I don't mind at all."

"Let me dry." Andy interjects, taking the towel from her and beginning to dry the dishes, "I don't know what we'd do without you. When the divorce became final I… I don't think I realised how difficult it was going to be, raising her on my own. I mean, cops don't normally win Parent-of-the-Year."

" _Normally_." She responds pointedly, "There's always an exception to the rule."

"Yeah, but why would that be _me_?" Andy scoffs lightly, "I mean I'm the one that put Nicole in this situation to begin with."

"What do you mean?" Sharon tilts her head to the side curiously, leaning back against the sink and crossing her arms over her chest as she watched him finish drying the plates.

"My wife, she didn't trust me, and she had every right." He sighs defeatedly, his eyes fixating on a scratched floor tile, "I was faithful to her, I was, but I would drink. A lot. I'd come home drunk, or just not come home at all. I don't know how she put up with me for as long as she did, and I sure as hell don't know why Nicole chose to come with me." He admits, his voice falling with sadness.

"I suppose she sees something good in you too, hm?" Sharon asks, cautiously reaching out and straightening Andy's tie, her fingers lingering on the deep blue material for a moment, "Our pasts don't colour who we are." She states quietly, "Otherwise, we'd all be screwed." She chuckles as she pushes a tress of hair behind her ear.

"That's true." He shrugs with a small laugh as he places the rag back down on the counter before drying his hands on his pants, "Is it just you?"

Sharon pauses for a moment, completely taken aback by his question. Andy hesitates, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder but withdrawing his hand when Sharon's whole demeanour shifts.

"In all the ways that matter, it's just me and the kids." She looks away from Andy, anxiously picking at the hem of her sleeve.

"Well that makes two of us." Andy bows his head, "Sorry." He catches himself in an attempt to keep the conversation from worsening.

"Don't apologise." Sharon forces a small smile before tapping his shoulder, "Can you stay a bit longer? The kids are all watching tv if you'd like to stay."

"I'd love to." Andy offers a crooked smile, following Sharon into the living room.

~oOo~

" _Wait a minute Doc, are you telling me you built a time machine out of a Delorean?"_ Marty asks, and for some reason Sharon forces herself to stifle a laugh, a nearly-asleep Emily curled up in her lap.

" _The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style. Besides, the stainless steel construction made the flux dispersal- look out!"_ Andy glances away from the boxy television for a moment, his eyes flitting from Nicole- who was sound asleep in his lap- to Sharon and her equally sleepy daughter. Ricky was sat between them watching the movie intently, occasionally yawning or rubbing his eyes.

"Hey, kids," Sharon whispers, both Emily and Nicole's eyes flitting open, "I think it's time for Andy and Nicole to go home. It's getting late and you're all falling asleep." She smiles fondly, absentmindedly running her fingers through Emily's auburn hair.

"I think Miss. Sharon's right." Andy agrees, shifting Nicole in his arms as he rose from the couch, the young girl burying her face in the crook of his neck as she let out a small yawn, "You're tired, aren't you Nic?"

"Mhm." She mumbles with a nod, "Thanks Miss. Sharon."

"Oh, you're welcome sweetheart." Sharon chuckles, laying Emily down on the couch and coming over to where Andy stood. Sharon smiled and kissed the top of Nicole's head, "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow. Andy," she looks up at him, their eyes meeting hesitantly, "tonight was fun. I'll walk you out. Ricky, you and your sister get ready for bed, I'll be right back up." She smiles, opening the door for Andy as the two of them headed down the narrow staircase and into the studio.

~oOo~

"Here, I've got her." Sharon groans as Andy passes Nicole to her and unlocks the car, "Oh, she's getting to be a big kid, isn't she?" She smiles, watching Nicole's sleeping figure as Andy opens the car door for her.

"She's growing up too fast." Andy sighs, strapping Nicole into her car seat and smiling at Sharon, "Thank you, again." He adds, nervously scratching the back of his neck as he turns to face the woman in front of her.

"I told you, don't worry about it." She smiles again, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the car, "Starting to feel like a broken record." She chuckles, her eyes wandering from Andy to the ground, "I really did have a good time tonight." Sharon smiles, "Between raising the kids and running the studio, I haven't had down time in _forever._ It was a breath of fresh air, we should do it again some time."

"We should." Andy nods in agreement, gently reaching out and caressing Sharon's arm, "So I'll see you tomorrow?" He asks hesitantly as Sharon steps away from the car and back onto the sidewalk.

"I'd hope so." She offers a small grin, "Good night Andy."

"Night Sharon." He responds, a crooked smile making its way across his face, "I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early." He adds before pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek, "You get some rest, I'll bring breakfast tomorrow."

"Sounds like a date." Sharon smiles as blush creeps across her cheeks, "Tomorrow morning it is."

"Sounds… like a… date." Andy repeats slowly as a smile creeps across his face as well, "We'll see you tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thanks for all the follows, favourites, and comments!_

~oOo~

"Sweetheart, can you see okay?" Andy questions and Nicole shakes her head negatively. "Here, I've gotcha." He groans before picking Nicole up so that she could see into the bakery display case, "Pick six." He instructs, watching as Nicole presses her face against the glass and points at a donut, the cashier grinning happily at the duo.

"And that one." Nicole presses a small finger up against the glass and sticks out her tongue in thought as the cashier places the final donut in the box.

"Good job hon." He smiles happily at his daughter, paying the bill before loading both Nicole and their breakfast into the car.

~oOo~

"Good morning!" Sharon exclaims happily as she unlocks the studio door, a cup of coffee clutched in her hand, "How's my favourite ballerina?" She questions with a big smile, "And my favourite police officer?" She adds with a smirk.

"We got donuts!" Nicole exclaims happily, running through the studio and up the stairs into the loft, Sharon and Andy both chuckling at the sound of Nicole running around upstairs and screaming to the other two children about their sugary breakfast.

"Morning." Andy glances at Sharon as she closes and then relocks the studio door. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun that he could tell she had slept on, ringlets of hair sticking out haphazardly, her eyes shimmering happily without being hidden by her glasses.

"It is." Sharon chuckles before standing on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek, "Would you like some coffee?" She asks as she turns and walks towards the stairs.

"Yeah, um yeah, please." Andy nods, a confused smile gracing his lips.

~oOo~

"I want it!" Ricky exclaims and reaches for the box before Emily quickly swipes it away from him.

"No, it's mine!" She argues back and Sharon rolls her eyes and walks over to the kitchen table to stop the commotion, her own half-eaten donut in hand.

"Do you two have to fight over everything?" Sharon asks with a deep sigh as she picks up the box, "I think Andy gets the last donut, since he bought them." She explains and hands the box to Andy who was standing at the kitchen's island, "Behave." Sharon turns around to the three children with a pointed finger, "We have company and you two know better."

"Yes, mom." They both sigh and bow their heads, a small chuckle escaping Andy's lips as he watched Nicole look from Emily to Ricky and back again.

"Thanks." Andy sits the box down on the counter and wipes the powdered sugar off of his hands with a napkin before turning to look at Sharon who was leaning against the counter beside him, "May I request a redo on this date?"

"Oh, um," Sharon glances away from him, toying with a lock of hair that had come loose from her bun in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, "I would like that." She smiles to herself, "But there's some things we'll need to discuss first. Besides, my ideal date isn't watching my children fight over the last donut." She chuckles with a shrug.

"Well I'm… off this weekend if you'd want to… go out for dinner and a movie maybe?" Andy questions hesitantly, "If that works for you?"

"I'll need to find a sitter for the kids." She glances at him apologetically, "But I would like that very much. Can we talk later?"

"Yeah, sure. About what?" He questions as he scratches his chin anxiously.

"Well, let's just say you're not the only one with a messy past." She responds ominously with a crooked grin and a shrug, "Please let me know what time you'll be over for Nicole." She calls over her shoulder as she walks towards her bedroom, "And thank you for breakfast!"

~oOo~

Andy was thankful that thus far it had been a slow morning. No murders, no kidnapping, nothing that would prevent him from having a nice evening with Sharon and the kids. _Sharon_. Andy chuckled to himself just thinking about her. That woman sure was an enigma, but in a good way. _Could that word even be used in a good way?_ _Okay, she's more like a Rubik's Cube._ Andy decides, _confusing and frustrating until you solve it_. He wasn't sure that was quite the right association yet, but it was closer. Close was good enough for now, he supposed.

"Hey." Andy jumps in his seat as Provenza drops a stack of files onto his desk, "Wanna look at these with me?"

"Not really." Andy grumbles, still wary of his partner, "What are they?"

"Some old cases I found."

"Did they go cold?" Andy asks, pulling the stack of files towards himself and flipping the first one open.

"No. They're closed. I'm just trying to prove a theory to the chief." He explains with an overconfident smirk.

"And what would that be?" Andy asks, closing the folder with a sigh and an eye roll before looking to the man in front of him.

"That it's always the husband." He answers, the same smug look still plastered on his face.

"That _what's_ always the husband?" Andy questions, still not following Provenza's helter-skelter logic.

"The murderer. Always the husband."

"Yeah right." Andy scoffs, "Wait, how do I know you didn't pick cases that fit that M.O.?"

"You don't." Provenza responds, and Andy wanted to slap the grin off his face.

"What's in it for me?" Andy turns in his chair to fully face Provenza, "Next thing you're gonna say is that this is a competition right?"

"What's in it for you? You're not sitting on your ass. Is it a competition? Hell yes."

"Ugh, fine." Andy finally concedes, "I'll play your stupid game. And _when_ I'm right," he emphasises, "You don't talk to me for the next two days. Deal?"

"And when _I_ win," Provenza counters, "You come out for drinks with all of us. Deal?"

"Deal." Both men nod and shake hands.

~oOo~

 _Five case files down, five to go._ Andy lets out a deep sigh as he flips the next folder open, dreading that Provenza could very well win. So far, three of his files proved Provenza's theory, and two did not. And judging by the stack of files on Provenza's desk, Andy was almost certain that this 'competition' was rigged.

"How many have you got?" Andy questions as he places the most recent file on the top of his stack.

"Four for me, none for you." He responds with a victorious smirk, "You?"

"Threes." Andy shrugs, "And I'm really not looking forward to going out for drinks with you." He sighs with a roll of his eyes.

"Accepting defeat, are we?" Provenza questions, a smug grin working its way across his face once more, "I thought you'd put up more of a fight."

"I still think you fixed the deck." Andy grumbles, diving back into the cases and trying his hardest to ignore Provenza.

~oOo~

"Done!" Provenza exclaims half-an-hour later, springing out of his chair and raising his arms up victoriously.

"Yeah, yeah." Andy sighs and rubs his temples, already knowing the outcome of this so-called competition, "I had seven for me and three for you."

"And I had ten." He narrows his eyes with a happy smile, "For _me_."

"Yeah, cause that wasn't rigged." Andy sighs with an eye roll, "And I guess me telling you I'm trying to stay sober won't save me from drinks, will it?"

"We shook on it." Provenza shakes his head, "Besides, bars have soda too."

"What if," Andy hedges for a moment, trying to decide if this lie was his best shot at getting out of the deal, "I told you I had a chance to get laid tonight?"

Provenza's eyes perk up with interest, "The ballerina?" Andy nods affirmatively, "Good man! Rain check on those drinks though."

"Yeah, sure." Andy shrugs, "Definitely." He adds as he picks up his mug of coffee and walks towards the break room.

~oOo~

 _I didn't mean what I told him about Sharon._ Andy kept repeating over and over in his head as he sat, staring at the pale blue wall, _It was just a diversion and it damn well worked._

"Lieutenant, hi." Andy looks up from his mug of coffee at the sound of a greeting and turns to see Mike Tao standing in the doorway.

"Hi." Andy offers a small wave as Tao comes to sit in the chair across from him, "We catch a case?"

"No." Mike shakes his head, the pale break room light reflecting off of his shined scalp, "I just thought I'd come say hello, I saw Provenza got a hold of you this morning."

"Yeah." Andy lets out a puff of air as he shrugs and rolls his eyes, "He did. Trying to prove some stupid theory to the chief." He adds a bit frustratedly.

"Let me guess, 'It's always the husband'?" Tao mocks and Andy can't help but grin at his coworker's humour.

"Yeah."

"And he turned it into a competition, right?" Andy nods in response, "And you lost by a landslide, so now you have to do something stupid, don't you?"

"I think I might've managed to wiggle my way out of that one, but that's more or less what happened." Andy shrugs as he swirls his coffee.

"Really, how?" Mike asks, suddenly intrigued, "When I lost I had to wear a clown wig for two days. You know he fixes those cases, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Andy dismisses him with a small wave of his hand, "And he just wanted me to go out for drinks."

"Really? That's it?" Tao asks with surprise, "That's not bad at all! Why would you try and get out of it?"

"I don't drink. And also I _really_ don't like him." He adds pointedly, "He gets on my nerves. Too bossy."

"He'll grow on you." Tao shrugs, "Kinda like the weeds on your lawn that you can't kill no matter how hard you try. Kind of like that." He lets out a small laugh.

"Yeah." Andy chuckles, "I can imagine."

"So how'd you get out of it?" Mike asks again, "I _need_ to know the secret."

"I might've told him I had a date tonight." Andy blurts out quickly as his cheeks blushed a bright red, "And I might've let him think there were some benefits involved."

"Ooh. He's always a sucker for shit like that. Part of why he can never keep a wife." He chuckles, "Wait so that's not true then?"

"No." Andy states as he sips his coffee, "But it worked."

"Yeah, it-" Tao is interrupted by a ringing phone and Andy sits down his mug before reaching into his pocket.

"Sorry." He shrugs at Tao before flipping it open and answering the call, "Hey, Sharon." He smiles and taps his index finger on the back of the phone, "Yeah, probably around five today I think. I can stop at the store on the way if you want? Sounds good. I'll see you then." He purses his lips in a melancholy smile as he closes his phone, Tao looking at him puzzled.

"I thought you didn't have a date tonight?" He questions with an arched eyebrow.

"Shut up." Andy grumbles, sticking his phone back in his pocket before standing and exiting the break room in search of a quiet place to finish his work.

~oOo~

Something seemed off. That much Andy could tell as soon as he pulled up to the studio. A car was parked outside and the studio light was on, even though classes had concluded hours ago. Andy walks up and cautiously opens the studio door, surprised when he finds Nicole there dancing by herself.

"Dad!" She exclaims and runs up to hug him, "You're early!"

"Yeah." He laughs and shakes his head, "What're you doing down here? Where's Ricky, Emily, and Sharon?"

"Miss. Sharon asked me to come down here and wait for you. She said her husband showed up and that I shouldn't be around for that." She explains in her small voice.

"Husband?" The word catches in Andy's throat as he tried to process the information. _Didn't Sharon say she was on her own?_

"Mhm." Nic confirms with a nod, "Wait," she looks up at Andy, her eyes widening, "I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"I think it's time to go home, don't you?" Andy asks, trying to hide the hurt he was feeling, "We can play monopoly."

"Okay." She agrees, constantly looking over her shoulder as Andy led her out of the studio.

~oOo~

"Ha! I got Boardwalk!" Nicole grins and claps her hands victoriously.

"I guess you're buying it?" Andy questions with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Nicole responds and passes the rainbow money to her father.

Andy watches Nicole fondly, glad to have quality time like this with his daughter.

"I'm almost out of money, if I land on there I'm done." Andy chuckles

"I hope you land on it then." She smirks.

And on his next turn, he did. If anything he considered it yet another inconvenience of his terribly unlucky day. But it was Nicole, after all, and he couldn't be mad at her for winning a meaningless game. It was all in fun, and it took his mind off of things for a while.

"Hey, let's clean this up and then get you to bed, okay?" Andy suggests, brushing the hotel pieces into their containers.

"Okay." Nicole nods as she sorts the money, "Thanks for playing Daddy."

"Of course sweetheart." He smiles, "We should have game nights more often."

"Yeah!" She exclaims with a toothy grin as Andy picks her up and slings her over his shoulders by her feet, causing Nicole to giggle crazily, "I'm upside-down!"

"Are you?" Andy asks surprised, almost as if he didn't know the child was hanging off his back, "How'd you get there?"

"You!" She squeals as Andy walks into Nicole's room and flops her down on the bed.

" _Me_?" Andy laughs and kisses his daughter's forehead, "Get in your pyjamas and then we can brush our teeth." He instructs before heading to his own room to change.

~oOo~

Once Nicole had fallen asleep Andy headed back to his room, flopping down on the king bed as he lets out a deep sigh.

 _Could his only friend have lied to him? Let him think that maybe, just maybe there was something there?_ For some strange reason, that thought shook Andy to the core. He'd only known Sharon for two days, but it was easy. It almost felt like she was a permanent fixture, something he couldn't imagine his life without. _His_ life? Why all of a sudden had he started to not only acknowledge but _accept_ the chemistry between the two of them?

Andy reaches over and turns off the lamp on his bedside table, just getting settled beneath the blankets when his phone rings. It could be two people, and at the moment Andy didn't particularly feel like dealing with _either_ of them.

"Hello?" He answers groggily, leaning back against his pillows and running a hand through his hair.

Silence fills the line for a moment before Sharon finally responds, "Hi." Her voice is small and mousy, almost as if she had been afraid to call him.

"What do you want?" His voice is stern but soft in volume, conveying his annoyance.

"So…" She pauses with a deep sigh, "When I said there were some things we needed to talk about, _that_ would be one of them."

"You're married. What more is there to talk about?" Andy asks shortly, "At the very least I wish you would've been honest with me."

"It's not like that." Sharon sighs, "And that's what we needed to talk about."

"So talk." Andy grumbles, "I'll listen."

"I was brought up in a strict Christian family. The whole ' _marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman'_ line shoved down my throat for as long as I can remember. My husband and I married when we were nineteen, and it just went downhill from there." She sighs, "He got me pregnant, _twice_ ," she emphasises, "and couldn't even bother to take care of the children he helped me create. I helped him pay his way through law school, with the promise that he'd do the same for me. Then the gambling started, and the drinking. He'd show up at our house at all hours of the night, completely plastered and hoping to get lucky. I can't divorce him, as much as I want to. My parents wouldn't talk to me again; they'd say I dishonoured my vow to Him and to them. So yes, he _is_ my husband, but it's just a title. It means nothing."

"Does he show up… Often?" Andy questions hesitantly.

"Less and less recently." She breathes out, "Which I suppose is a good thing. It just kills me how he still has the kids believing he's coming home for good. He thinks that showing up every few months with an expensive toy makes up for all he's put us through, and to the kids, it does. They think ' _Daddy must love us 'cause he brought us these toys,'_ and as much as I want to, I can't squash that hope for them." She continues, suddenly a wealth of information.

"That's awful." Andy breathes out. Honestly, he wasn't sure how to react. He didn't want to come off like he pitied her, but he didn't want to come off as if her pain was irrelevant either.

"My mother told me _don't you marry that boy you're too young to know what's good for you_." She mimics in a high-pitched voice, "And she was right." She lets out a deep breath, "I was just too stupid to realise it."

"We've all done things we regret." Andy tries in an attempt to cheer her up, "That's just how life works."

"But I regret every day of my life for the past fifteen years." She sighs, "I regret going with him to senior prom, getting engaged and married, constantly footing the bill for anything he ever wanted. Even in a way I regret the kids, because they'll never get to grow up the way they deserve to."

Andy wanted to console her, but he wasn't sure how. _How do you relate to someone who's suffered that much heartbreak?_

"Thank you for telling me." He states simply, "It means a lot that you confided in me." It was a short, simple, honest statement that conveyed his sincerity.

"Well, what are friends for, right?" She offers with a meagre laugh, "So are we okay?" Sharon asks carefully.

"We are." Andy smiles and nods in response, "Can I ask you one more question though?"

"Go ahead."

"Why was he there?"

The line goes silent for a moment before Sharon speaks, "He needed money." She sighs, "And maybe some love to fill the hole he created in his life. I don't know. We fought and he left empty-handed, just like he should've."

Andy was at a loss for words once again, and he sighs. "Would you still like to go out this weekend?" _Maybe it's the wrong time to ask_. He thinks to himself anxiously.

"Tomorrow or Sunday?" She asks, "I'll need to find someone to watch the kids."

"Why don't we go out tomorrow, then all head to the beach on Sunday?" He suggests, "Nicole keeps asking to go, and I just haven't found the time yet."

"That sounds nice." Sharon replies, a light happiness in her voice, "Bring Nicole over around noon and then we can go."

"Sounds like a plan." Andy smiles to himself, "Good night Sharon."

"Night Andy."


End file.
